Flames
by Ally's Cosplay Muses
Summary: "There has been a change in rules. Two tributes can become victors if of the same distict." As the anouncement airs, I look arround in shock. "Pythor!" I yell, but quickly clap my hands over my mouth. Skales-Pythor-Fangtom love triangle, Ningago as the Hunger Games.


**Ω REAPING DAY Ω**

I woke up to the sound of screaming. I get up and shake my younger sibling awake, wrapping my arms around her. She looks up at me, blinking tears out of her eyes. She lets out a choked sob and buries her head in my chest.

"I- I dreamed it was me." adei said into my chest, although muffled.

"oh, adei, they won't pick you. Your name is only in there three time's." I told her, stroking her her hair. She looked up at me, worry shimmering in her eyes.

"but what about you, skales?" she asked. I sighed, pushing a strand of my dark blue hair out of my eyes. I looked at her, if a bit sadly. I thought back at the origin of the the shadow that is always there, threatening life and sanity. Yes, I was THE scales, who helped garmadon take over all of ningago, but it was sadly renamed unita`. I regret it now though, see in how he used the mega weapon to turn all serpentine human.

Someone, one of the generals, led many of us into rebellion. Two of the generals where killed, and the rebellion ended. I was accused of being the leader and was brought to capitol. There, I was stripped of all dignity, in front of the entire nation. Everyone was forced to watch the 'leader of the rebellion' turned into a girl. He then created the games.

Each year, two tributes would be chosen to compete in the games. A boy and a girl, aged nine through nineteen, would be chosen to be sent into an arena to fight to the death. Only one would come out alive, and they would be given a life of luxury.

"skales?" she asked, shaking me out of the memory. I looked at her, smiling softly.

"go back to sleep." I told her, pulling the threadbare blanket up, giving her some warmth. She smiled at me before closing her eyes. I walked away silently, pulling on a pair of sturdy, worn boots and a jacket. I walk out of the door, looking around me at the poverty stricken land of district twelve. I walk slowly through the outskirts of town,heading for the edge of the district.

When I got there, I stopped at the ten foot tall electric fence, listening for the hum of power. Although district twelve got only a few hours of limited electricity a day, I made sure to be wary. I crawled under the fence, and ran into the woods. I stopped to pull my bow out of a tree, along with my quiver.

I head farther into the trees, heading up a hill in search of some game. Technically, I could be shot and killed on a daily basis for hunting. But the 'peacekeepers', who are skeletons, are willing to turn a blind eye for the few of us that hunt.

"well, look at what I found." I heard as I reached the top of the hill, stepping out into a clearing. I look at the figure and smile.

"fangtom." I greet him. He is the only general I speak to now, seeing how he is my hunting partner. I have no clue what happened to pythor, I spoke to him before my punishment. Afterward, he was gone. I haven't seen him since, and for some odd reason, this is..disappointing.

"skales! Look what I got!" he says holding up a somewhat large loaf of bakery bread. I gasp, looking at it in shock.

"a bakery bread!" I said in shock. Ne nods, grinning.

"and it only cost me a squirrel." he states proudly. I smile and roll my eyes, slapping him on the arm.

"so proud." I state, if a tad bit sarcasticly. We sit down on a rock nearby, laughing. I suddenly remembered our 'tradition', so to speak.

"happy games! And may the odds-" I poked him in the side, signaling him of the fact it was his turn to speak.

"be _ever_ in your favor!" he follows up, mimicking the capitol accent. Lets just say that when they talk, you have to think about not mimicking them, because they sound hilarious.

We sat there for a few hours, laughing, talking, trying to forget the dark shadow looming just a few hours ahead. At exactly two, the entirety of district twelve would gather, waiting for two names to be drawn, and for garmadon to slaughter more of us. And we have to watch every second of it, treating it as a festival.

It's sick, really, and I can't believe I helped make it happen.

"skales?' I heard him ask. I look over to him, sighing.

"nothing." I mumble in response, and look away sadly. I realize that this whole mess is my fault. I am all to blame for the suffering of the people around me.

"it isn't, you know." I turn to look at him, disbelief written across my face. A stand up abruptly, walking off quickly.

"wait! Ski, wait!" I feel him grab my arm and I whirl around, furious and slightly exasperated. I harshly slap his hand away, glaring venomously. Even though all serpentine are human, and rid of all powers, we have extreme anger issues. And like the snake inside us all, we bite back with poisonous venom. And while that venom is no longer there, that don't mean we are less dangerous when scared or angered.

"don't call me that!" I hissed at him, my eyes narrowed into slits. He growls, his eyes narrowing as well. His hands ball into fists and I can see that I've made him angry. Well, I was setting us up for a fight, so I guess I get one. Although, I don't think that was a very good idea.

"why can I? Skaless, what is your problem? You've never acted like thiss before." We were quickly falling back into our original way of speaking, hissing on every 's'. I was now faced with that age old instinct that everyone gets. Fight or flight, I debated. I quickly eliminated flight though, I was never one to run from a fight in all my years, and serpentine can live for a very long time.

"fangtom, I don't ssee how it is your issssue!" I exclaimed, backing up a bit. He raised an eyebrow, laughing darkly.

"skaless, you've grown weak." he taunted me, smirking at what he saw as an 'obvious disadvantage'. While I was always smaller, even as a serpentine, and many saw that as an advantage. But trust me, it's not.

"iss that sso?" I ask, now giving him the death glare, but he stood defiantly, staring back. Suddenly a loud alarm rang through the air, signaling for everyone to start preparing for the reaping.

"alright." fangtom took a deep breath,looking at me. I turned away, starting to walk off, and out of the corner of my eye, I can see him step forward. He hesitates and I quickly walk away, fading into the darkness of the woods.

"sometimes, I wonder what your thinking." I mutter, shoving my bow into it's hiding place. I walk back to my house, dreading the next half-hour. I quickly get dressed, putting on a jean dress. I head to the closet, opening the doors with small creak of protest. I pull out a lovely white dress, with ruffles at the edges. I slowly run my hand over the soft fabric, thinking of the last time it was worn.

Our mother wore this particular dress the day I had left to fight. That was the last time I saw her, she was killed in a fight between two tribes, I forget who. I hear the soft shuffle of boots hitting the rotting wood floor. I turn and see adei standing in the doorway. I smile at her, walking forward and taking her had. I crouch down beside her, smiling.

"guess who's dress your wearing?" I ask softly. She smiles at me, looking at the dress in awe.

"really? I get to wear.. mom's?" she asks, and I smile, giving her the dress with a hug. She looks at me, smiling nervously. I gently push her to the bathroom. She comes out a minute later, and she looks beautiful. I quickly put her long golden hair up in a bun, and we rush out the door, heading out the door.

"skales, I'm scared." she says to me as we get in line to check in to the reaping. They took a blood sample, causing adei to flinch. As we walked away, I leaned down to look at her.

"it'll be okay. I'll come get you afterward." we separate, and I head to my section. I look up at the temporary stage and see Louisiana garmadon. Formally known as Lloyd, she willingly became the chaperone for district twelve after a fatal mistake of getting turned into a girl, permanently.

She was instantly given a life at the capitol, since her father was the president. She instantly accepted, forgetting the ninja. It shows how much she really cared. In my opinion, she never really cared about the ninja. She walks out on stage, pastel colors coating her entire body. From dress to makeup, even hair, she was sporting a pale, pasty pink. It was in contrast with her skin, which was sheet white. She walks up to the microphone, tapping it. She gives a fake smile, talking in her capitol accent.

"happy games! And my the odds be ever in your favor!" she said with as much dignified florish she could manage, seeing how she was about to be made the laughing-stock of unita`.

and now, introducing the former victor, rida!" she says and gestures to the edge of the stage. I can hear sounds of fighting, and lots of slurred shouting. Finally, rida comes out, stumbling and saying something incoherent. I roll my eyes, yes in district twelve you can starve to death in safety with drunk victors. Just fantastic.

"moving on!" she says brightly, walking over to one of the large glass bowls filled with slips. One for girls and one for boys. She smiles, looking out at the sea of children before her.

"lets see who will be the lucky tributes for the seventy-fourth games!" she says, reaching into the bowl. Everyone draws in a collective breath. Don't be me, please not me, I say inside my head. But when she pulls the slip out, it's not.

It's Adei Slitheres.


End file.
